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Bourgeois still looking for rhythm at plate

Bourgeois still looking for rhythm at plate

ARLINGTON -- Outfielder Jason Bourgeois said he is still trying to find his groove at the plate after missing 25 games with a strained left oblique.

Bourgeois has started all four games of the current road trip but started two of the Astros' previous 10 games since he returned to action on June 5 against the Padres.

"You can't take baseball off," Bourgeois said. "It's a game of repetition. I feel like I'm close, but I don't feel like I'm there."

Bourgeois was hitting .407 before the injury in May and is now hitting .345 with 17 steals. The speedy outfielder notched a hit in all six games he played in May, including three multihit games.

"I think I was getting maybe two hits a game for a week and a half straight," Bourgeois said. "I knew that wasn't going to last forever. I sure hate I got hurt, but it's one of those things. I've just got to get back to it and make the adjustments along the way."

He said he talked to Michael Bourn and a few teammates on Tuesday about making minor plate adjustments, including not pulling off the ball. Bourgeois has a hit in four of his last five games, but only one multihit game in that span.

"We're at a level now where it's all about the little things," he said. "It's not the whole big picture. So I make those few adjustments, and hopefully I can feel like I did before I got hurt."

Bourgeois made his fourth straight start in right field on Tuesday night while Hunter Pence nursed a sprained left elbow. Pence hasn't played since injuring his elbow on Friday night against the Dodgers.

"I'm just grateful for the opportunity to get out here and play," Bourgeois said. "I know that once Hunt gets back, he's going to be playing every day. We need his bat. He's a big part of our lineup. I hope it's a quick recovery for him."